


Your Little Hand's Wrapped Around My Finger (It's So Quiet In The World Tonight)

by BillieJoeArmstrong



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Babies, Cute, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fatherhood, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Kid Fic, M/M, Other, Polyamory, This is my magnum opus, michael alex and kyle adopt an alien baby. its adorable., mylex, nearly ten thousand words of fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-20 20:37:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18532702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BillieJoeArmstrong/pseuds/BillieJoeArmstrong
Summary: When an alien baby is left at the police station, Michael, Alex and Kyle offer to take care of it. What could possibly go wrong?





	Your Little Hand's Wrapped Around My Finger (It's So Quiet In The World Tonight)

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from Never Grow Up by Taylor Swift.
> 
> Shoutout to the uwu squad for encouraging me to write this, and especially Kit and Kirsty for beta'ing.
> 
> Find me on tumblr @ aliencowboys

“Alright, Alex, I got your message. But what do you need diapers f-“ Kyle cut himself off mid-sentence, arms full of grocery bags as he stepped into the cabin he shared with his two boyfriends only to find Alex standing in the middle of the living room with a sleeping baby in his arms. “That’s a baby.”

 

“Yes, it is a baby, Kyle,” came the voice of Michael, who was sitting on the floor on the opposite side of the room, surrounded by pieces of unassembled crib and staring intently at a set of instructions. Kyle hadn’t even realised he was in the room. “Glad to see your medical degree taught you something.”

 

Kyle rolled his eyes at his boyfriend’s sarcasm, “Okay. Let me rephrase.  _ Why _ do you have a baby?”

 

“She was left at the police station.” Alex explained, voice soft as he rocked the baby gently. “Max called Michael, you were at work at the time.”

 

“Okay.” Kyle nodded, though his face was still contorted in confusion, “but why have  _ you _ got the baby?”

 

“We offered to take her, just for now. This cabin’s far enough away from the city that we can keep her safe.” Michael explained as the baby stirred in Alex’s arms and the airman became distracted trying to calm her down.

 

“Safe from what?” Kyle’s voice grew worried, “why do you need her kept away from the city?”

 

“Well, because-” Michael was cut off as the baby gave a loud cry and the lamp in the corner of the room exploded.

 

Kyle blinked, “I see.”

 

* * *

 

“I’m sorry we didn’t ask you first.” Alex whispered to Kyle as the two men prepared dinner in the kitchen. In the other room, Michael was playing with the baby, keeping her happy. Liz had looked her over at the police station and they figured out she had some sort of alien abilities. Similar to Max, she had power over electrical energy that was triggered when she got upset which caused lightbulbs to burst, car alarms to go off and computers to blackout. 

Other than that, however, she was a healthy, happy baby girl, about the size of an average five-month-old. “I should have checked it was okay with you before we just brought an alien baby into our home.”

 

“We already have a giant alien baby in this home,” Kyle joked, “or did you forget Michael’s been living here for ten months?”

 

“I heard that!” Michael shouted from the other room.

Alex sighed but couldn’t keep an amused smirk off his face. “I’m serious,” his voice turned anxious, “I need to know you’re okay with this.”

 

Kyle put down the spoon he was mixing with to face his boyfriend, “Alex, I’m a doctor. It’s literally my job to take care of people, no matter how small or other-worldly.”

 

“I know, but this isn’t just a patient at work. This is an actual baby girl, coming into our lives for I-don’t-know how long!” Alex sounded stressed, “and I just- I took one look at her and decided right then that I would do anything to protect her. I could tell Michael felt the same. We didn’t even hesitate or think about it practically.”

 

Kyle put his hand on Alex’s arm. “That’s love, Alex,” he smiled, “that’s how I feel when I look at you. How  _ I know _ we both feel when we look at Michael. I think we have room in our little family for one more.”

 

Alex smiled and pressed a kiss to Kyle’s cheek. “I have the two best boyfriends on the planet,” Alex spoke with so much honesty in his voice and eyes, “how did I get so lucky?”

 

Kyle laughed and turned back to stirring the dinner, “hmm, must be fate.” He grinned, “now help me get this pasta finished before the adult-alien in this house gets hungry and cranky.”

 

“Hey!” Michael called, “I heard that too!”

 

* * *

        

“A baby this young can’t eat all solid foods.” Kyle explained, showing Michael how to mix the formula he’d had the foresight to pick up at the supermarket when a text from Alex had sent him on an urgent grocery-run on his way home from work. He had figured whatever needed diapers and baby-bottles was going to need formula and soft foods too.

 

“Huh. Here I was thinking they just drank milk.” Michael shrugged, though he was paying close attention as Kyle placed the bottle of formula into a pot of hot water.

 

Kyle shook his head, “she won’t get enough nutrition from that.” He looked up across the room to where Alex was sitting on the couch, holding the baby in his lap. “We can give her a little of this sometimes,” Kyle held up a jar of applesauce, “but for the most part she’ll be on formula for the next few months.”

 

Michael nodded, taking it all in. He knew nothing about child care, considering his upbringing severely lacked anything of the sort, and appreciated Kyle’s patience in teaching him the basics.

 

After a few minutes, Kyle took the bottle back out of the water and tested the temperature. “There we go. Lightly warmed. Not too hot.” He handed the bottle to Michael, “now you can do the honours.”

 

Michael hesitated, just for a moment, before taking the bottle and crossing the room to sit next to Alex on the couch.

 

Alex smiled brightly at Michael, who looked more and more nervous as he watched the baby gurgle and reach out to him. “You’re fine,” Alex said, sensing Michael’s anxiety. “I know you didn’t exactly  _ have _ parents at this age – at least not any you remember. But that doesn’t mean you’re going to do anything wrong now.”

 

Michael inhaled sharply. It was the first time any of them had actually eluded to their role in this baby’s life as parental, despite the fact they were all thinking it. Max and Jenna were on the job trying to figure out where the child had come from, but it was difficult talking to sources when they were trying to keep her existence a secret. Really, Michael, Alex and Kyle knew that their volunteering to take care of the infant had the potential to be a long-term thing.

 

“We never-“ Michael cut himself off as the baby let out a cry and started fidgeting more in Alex’s grip.

 

“She’s hungry,” Alex explained, passing the baby across to Michael carefully. “You can do this. I believe in you.”

 

Alex’s words were sincere, and Michael nodded and took a deep breath as he shifted the crying infant in his grip and angled the bottle in his hand to her mouth. The baby gripped his shirt tightly as she guzzled down the formula.

 

After a few, still moments of watching the little girl calm down as she drank, Michael spoke up again. “We never talked about kids,” he said quietly, though the silent atmosphere of the cabin meant Kyle surely heard from the kitchen. “About having kids. Together. The three of us.”

 

“I never thought it was something we  _ could _ have.” Alex replied, voice just as soft. “Not that you and Kyle aren’t enough for me, but…”

 

“But it’s something you’ve just always wanted,” Kyle interrupted, walking into the living room balancing three plates of pasta and putting them down on the coffee table before sitting beside Michael on the couch. “Having kids. Being a father. I get it,” he gave a smile, genuine but shaky with emotion. “It’s something I’ve always thought about too.”

 

“I’m not so sure I’m cut out for it.” Michael whispered, placing the now-empty bottle on the table as the baby in his arms rested her head against his chest. “But God, I want to be.” His voice cracked with emotion.

 

Kyle put a comforting arm around Michael’s back and all three men leaned in, watching the baby girl in the alien’s arms looking up at the three of them, wonder in her deep brown eyes.

 

“I’m not sure any of us have the best fatherly experience,” Alex mumbled, “but, I think we’ll be okay. We can do a better job. Together.”

 

Kyle nodded, “we’ve got each other to lean on.”

 

Michael gave a soft smile and leaned over across to give each of his boyfriends a soft kiss in turn. Then he cast his eyes back to the small child in his arms, her grip on his shirt loosening as she relaxed and let her eyelids fall. Michael breathed in the sight of her, relaxed and trusting in his arms. He was overwhelmed with emotions, feeling like he did every time he caught Alex watching him from across the room with adoration in his eyes, or moments when Kyle would reach out to hold his hand comfortingly when strangers sneered at them in public. It wasn’t a realisation of love – Michael thought maybe he had loved his boyfriends and this baby since he first lay eyes on them – but a reminder of just how much he could feel for another person.

 

Alex and Kyle were right – they had each other. None of them were in this alone, and Michael knew that if Alex and Kyle loved this little girl even a fraction as much as he did, they were never going to let anything hurt her.

 

“Looks like someone’s sleepy.” Kyle smiled, “come on, let’s put her to bed.”

 

Kyle stood first and offered a hand to Michael, who was then followed by Alex. The three men shuffled into the bedroom where they had put the finished baby crib, taking small steps so as not to rouse the sleeping alien infant.

 

“Sweet dreams, darling.” Michael whispered as he placed the baby into her bed, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Alex stroked a hand across her curly hair and tucked her in with an old blanket they found in a cupboard at the cabin that might have once belonged to Kyle or Alex.

 

Kyle stood to the side, face glowing with affection and pride as he watched his two boyfriends acting so gently and lovingly.

 

Knowing Alex and Michael would stand there all night, cooing and comforting the baby girl until morning if they were left to it, Kyle stepped forward, gave the baby a kiss on the cheek, and slid up the side of the crib, locking it into place. “Dinner’s getting cold, come on,” he grinned, taking Alex’s hand in his right and Michael’s in his left, before leading his boyfriends out of the room.

 

* * *

 

Alex and his two boyfriends woke up unanimously at 3:24am to the sound of screaming and every light in the cabin flickering. For a moment, the airman was confused and afraid before the events of the previous day came rushing back. The cries were that of a baby. The baby he and Michael had brought home yesterday.

 

Alex had been sleeping on the edge of the bed closest to the crib, so he sat up with a grunt and swung his legs over the side of the mattress.

 

“I’ll get her,” Alex mumbled, before reaching for his crutch and realising it wasn’t in the spot next to the bed where he usually left it. He groaned in frustration and reached for his prosthesis instead, annoyed that a quick shuffle across the room on one crutch was unachievable.

 

A gentle hand on Alex’s shoulder eased him. “Stay. It’s fine,” Michael whispered before moving from his place in the middle of the bed to cross the room to the crib. He picked up the crying alien baby and cradled her to his chest before carrying her back and handing her delicately to Alex.

 

“Thank you,” Alex whispered to Michael as he began rocking the baby gently, trying to calm down her cries.

 

“She’s so sweet,” Kyle spoke up, voice heavy with sleep as he pressed his chest to Alex’s back and rested his chin on the airman’s shoulder.

 

“Yeah, she is.” Michael grinned and tickled the baby’s tiny, bare foot. He breathed in deeply, an attempt to control his emotions before he spoke again. “Sweet like Candy. We could name her that.”

 

The room fell silent, even the baby’s cries fell away at the statement. The lights ceased flickering and the room fell into darkness.

 

“Sorry, it’s late. I’m tired and not thinking. I didn’t mean-“ Michael started, rubbing a hand across his face.

 

“Name her. I- Wow.” Alex interrupted him, blinking. Giving the baby a name made this feel  _ real _ . Up until then, they had all been pretending to talk in hypotheticals – even though they knew nothing about this was hypothetical. The baby was real. Their impending future of fatherhood was real. But once they gave her a name, they couldn’t pretend this was something temporary any more. “But- what if…” he trailed off.

 

“It doesn’t matter if we find her real home.” Kyle spoke up, “even if we have to send her away. She’s-” his voice cracked, “she’ll be our daughter. Always.”

 

Michael sniffed, an attempt to hold back tears. He and Alex were thinking the same thing at Kyle’s words; it wasn’t so long ago Michael was still looking for  _ his _ real home. But in trying – and failing – to get off-world, the alien had realised the place he  _ truly _ belonged wasn’t some far-away planet, but a small cabin in New Mexico, in the arms of his two boyfriends.

He hoped the little girl in Alex’s arms would decide to make this place her home too.

 

“So Candy, then? Short for Candice?” Kyle asked, wrapping an arm around both his boyfriends’ shoulders.

 

“Candice is nice.” Alex smiled, eyes on the infant, “and maybe- maybe Rose, for a middle name?” he offered, looking up at Michael and Kyle.

 

It didn’t need to be said what, or who, Alex was thinking of. Kyle leaned forward and pressed a long kiss to Alex’s cheek. When he pulled back, he had tears running down his face, “it’s perfect.”

 

Michael and Alex were also misty-eyed.

 

“Candice Rose Valenti-Guerin.” Michael announced, overwhelming pride in his voice. The three men had spoken before about what they would change their names to if they could get married. No part of Alex felt guilty about wanting to drop the Manes name – he’d much rather be known by the names of the two men he’d chosen to love, than a father who’d rather see him dead than happy.

 

“We’re really doing this, then?” Alex said, though he had no doubt about it now.

 

“Yeah. I think so.” Michael grinned, “congratulations, Alex, Kyle and Michael. You  _ are _ the fathers.”

 

Kyle playfully slapped Michael’s arm. “Shut up,” he mumbled, but he couldn’t keep the delight out of his voice.

 

Alex laughed at his boyfriends, tears of joy spilling over his cheeks as Candice – their daughter – joined in, her shrill baby-laugh music to his ears.

 

* * *

 

The second time Candice woke the three men up with her screaming and electricity-fluctuations that night was at 4:41am. Having shifted in their sleep, this time Michael was closest to the crib, and he once again volunteered to cross the room and get her from the crib.

 

“Oh, gross,” Michael grimaced as he picked her up.

 

“Don’t talk about Kyle like that.” Alex mumbled sarcastically, face pressed into his pillow where he lay in the middle of the bed.

 

“Ha ha,” Michael deadpanned, holding the crying infant out at arms-length. “Seriously though, she stinks.”

 

“She probably needs her diaper changed.” Kyle spoke up, voice heavy with sleep, “dibs not.”

 

“Dibs not.” Alex echoes, pulling the covers up over his head.

 

“Oh no. I can’t do this!” Michael’s tone exuded genuine panic.

 

“Sure you can, love.” Kyle encouraged, sitting up in bed. “I’ll talk you through it.”

 

“Why don’t you just do it?” Michael reasoned, bringing Candice into his chest to comfort her. Her crying growing quieter immediately.

 

“It’s a one-man-job, and you need to learn.” Kyle nudged Alex next to him, “you too, babe, pay attention.”

 

Alex grumbled and stuck his head out from the blankets he had cocooned himself in.

 

“Alright, first things first pass her to me and go get some towels, a rubbish bag, and the diapers and wet-wipes from the groceries I brought home,” Kyle instructed, voice sure-and-steady as it is when he’s calling shots at the hospital.

 

Michael nodded, eyes wide and nervous. He walked toward the bed and carefully placed Candice, still sniffling, into Kyle’s arms.

 

“Oh and Michael,” Kyle looked directly into his alien boyfriend’s eyes, “calm down.”

 

With a small smile, Michael leaned in to kiss Kyle’s cheek. “Alright,” he whispered before darting out of the room to grab the supplies Kyle listed.

 

With Michael’s nervous energy out of the room, Kyle sighed in relaxation and focused his attention on the baby in his arms. He watched as Candice kicked her feet and wiggled in discomfort, making whining noises that became quieter as Kyle cooed at her.

 

“I just realised this is the first time you’ve held her,” Alex mumbled, sitting up and pressing the side of his head against Kyle’s shoulder. “I’m sorry Michael and I were hogging her all evening.”

 

“It’s alright.” Kyle smiled and looked up at the airman, “it was enough for me to just see you two with her. You both get this- this glow. Like in the moment when you’re holding her, the world is perfect. I love to see you like that. Fatherhood looks good on you both.”

 

Alex lifted his head to give Kyle a firm, passionate kiss, moving his hand to rest on the back of the doctor’s neck.

 

When they pulled apart, they both looked elated. “From where I’m sitting, it looks good on you too,” Alex smiled. “You deserve to hold our daughter just as much as me and Michael.”

 

“I love you.” Kyle pressed his forehead against Alex’s.

 

“Love you too.” Alex wrinkled his nose, “Michael’s right, though. She really does stink.”

 

* * *

 

“You’ve decided to WHAT?!” Max’s tinny voice echoed across the room from the speaker of the phone Michael held in his hand.

 

Alex was on the opposite side of the kitchen, sitting on the counter with his prosthetic off and two crutches resting next to him. He was watching as Michael paced back and forth, trying to keep his cool while on the phone with his brother. Alex was listening to their conversation, prepared to step in and comfort his boyfriend when Max inevitably said something hurtful.

 

Kyle was standing nearby, making coffee and heating up a bottle of formula. The three men were basking in the quiet atmosphere of the late-morning while Candice slept in the bedroom, though they knew from the multiple times she woke them up at night that it was only a matter of time before the quiet was once again interrupted by hungry-baby squeals.

 

“We’re planning to adopt her, Max.  _ Legally _ ,” Michael explained, keeping his voice calm and rational. “We need your help to do it.”

 

“Who’s ‘we’? You and Alex?” Max asked.

 

Michael rolled his eyes. “Me, Alex  _ and _ Kyle. We’ve been over this before. I’m with both of them.”

 

“Michael, three guys can’t adopt a baby!” Max sounded exasperated, “never mind the fact we don’t know what this kid is or where it’s from!”

 

“That’s a little hypocritical of you, Maxwell.” Michael let his anger seep into his tone, “and she’s not an ‘it’. Her name is Candice. She’s my daughter.”

 

Michael slammed down the phone is a huff, hanging up on his brother, then slumped against the fridge.

 

Alex slid off the counter, grabbed his crutches, and traversed the small kitchen to stand next to Michael and lean against him, shoulder-to-shoulder. “You know he’ll come around, right?” Alex said softly, balancing carefully so he could take one of Michael’s hands in his own. Alex was decidedly  _ not _ Max Evans’ biggest fan, but he knew how important the man was to Michael, and how much Michael wanted Max to accept his choices. Until his relationship with Alex and Kyle had fallen into place, Max and Isobel had been the only family Michael had. Alex understood why having their approval mattered to his alien boyfriend.

 

“Yeah, don’t fret about your brother’s issues, Mikey.” Kyle walked over and handed his boyfriends a coffee each, hot, fresh and made exactly to their taste. “What we should be worrying about, maybe, is  _ that _ .” Kyle pointed out the kitchen door to where a floor lamp was flickering rapidly.

 

“You think that means-” Alex’s question was cut off by the cry of a baby. “-she’s awake,” he finished, raising his eyebrows.

 

Kyle grinned. “I’ll get her. Take that baby bottle out of the hot water in a minute,” he instructed.

 

Michael nodded as Kyle left the room. “We need more supplies,” he said, changing the subject from his phone call to Max. “Clothes, toys, blankets that aren’t, like, sixty years old.”

Alex nudged Michael, “hey, those blankets were mine and Kyle’s. You’re the only one here over sixty.”

 

“Well,” Michael looked back toward the bedroom where Kyle could be heard talking to Candice. “We don’t know for sure that Candy didn’t come out of a pod too. We could have come from the same ship, and for some reason she ended up somewhere else for all that time.”

 

“We also don’t know who left her at the police station,” Alex added, “or why.”

 

Michael shivered, a cold feeling moving down his spine. There were so many unresolved questions, and he was terrified their answers could mean Candice being taken away from them. Despite having only had her in his life for a day, Michael knew in his heart he wasn’t prepared to ever let her go. He could tell Alex and Kyle both felt the same.

 

Trying to distract himself from his fears, Michael moved to retrieve the bottle of formula from the jug of hot water it was warming in. “Yeah, so... Baby supplies,” he restarted the conversation as Kyle walked into the room, a grizzling Candice in his arms.

 

“Just changed her,” Kyle explained, “she’s hungry.”

 

Michael handed the bottle of formula over to Kyle and watched as the doctor balanced Candice in one arm, and the bottle in the other, feeding her with practised precision.

 

“I’m so glad Kyle knows what he’s doing,” Alex mumbled, voicing Michael’s thoughts.

 

“Hmm, I knew you guys were only dating me for my brain.” Kyle grinned, though his eyes were locked on his daughter in his arms.

 

“Yeah, we love that big brain of yours,” Michael smirked and leaned over to plant a kiss on Kyle’s cheek, “so now we’re going to pick it. What baby supplies are we in desperate need of?”

 

* * *

 

In the end, Kyle sent Alex and Michael off with a list of about thirty things that were absolutely vital, and another ten that would be good to get too. They drove three towns over so nobody would recognise them, and Kyle called Liz around to the cabin to help with baby-duties while they were gone.

 

Alex hadn’t prepared for how anxious he would become the further he got from the cabin and Candice.

 

“We’ve been gone over an hour. Should I call Kyle, just in case?” Alex was nervously tapping on his thigh in the passenger seat as Michael tried to locate the outlet baby store he had found on google maps.

 

“Babe, calm down.” Michael’s voice was steady as he reached across to hold his boyfriend’s hand reassuringly. “I’m sure Kyle and Candy are fine. They’ve got Liz there as adult supervision.”

 

Alex glared at Michael. “Is this really the time for jokes?” he snapped, “anything could go wrong. We just left our five-month-old, super-powered daughter at home. Not that I don’t trust Kyle, of course, but surely she’s safer when all three of us are there?”

 

Michael couldn’t help but grin at Alex’s dramatic ramblings. He should have seen it coming that Alex would be a fiercely over-protective parent. “If it makes you feel better,” Michael started, rubbing his thumb over the back of Alex’s hand in calming circles, “give Kyle a call. It’s not like our boyfriend won’t want to hear from you.”

 

Alex nodded, reassured by Michael’s words. “Okay,” he muttered, pulling his phone from his pocket, “I’ll call him. That’s not weird. I’m not being paranoid, right? I just want to talk to my boyfriend, check he’s doing alright. Check Candy’s doing alright. That’s what a normal, caring father does.”

 

“You’re fine, love.” Michael smiled, tearing his eyes from the road to glance across as Alex.

 

Alex held the phone to his ear, waiting for his boyfriend back home to answer. “Hey, Kyle. How are you? How’s Candy?” Alex paused while the doctor replied.

 

Michael couldn’t hear Kyle’s reply over the roar of the road, but the tension that disappeared from Alex’s shoulders and face told him enough.

 

“Alright.” Alex’s voice was light and relaxed, “Well, when she wakes up, give her lots of kisses from her two other dads.”

 

Michael felt giddy with joy hearing Alex talk like that – referring to them both as  _ dads. _ It was all Michael had ever wanted in life, and more. “I love you,” Michael smiled, though even those three words failed to contain all the adoration he felt in that moment.

 

“I love you too,” Alex responded, and from the look in his eyes, he was feeling just as much as Michael.

 

* * *

 

They drove for another half hour before reaching the town centre with the large baby-supplies store. Michael climbed out of the car first, then, ever the gentleman, walked around to open Alex’s door and offered him a hand.

 

Alex kept Michael’s hand in his as they wandered into the store. Once through the doors, the two men were immediately overwhelmed by the floor-to-ceiling shelves of infant clothes, toys, cutlery, furniture, and a billion other items prospective parents would surely coo over.

 

Michael pulled the hand-written list from Kyle out of his pocket. “Okay. First things first,” he read the foremost item, “a changing table?”

 

“So we don’t have to keep changing her diaper on a pile of towels on the floor,” Alex explained. He himself hadn’t been on changing duty yet for that exact reason; kneeling on the floor was uncomfortable for Alex, barely achievable with or without his prosthesis on. Though he knew diaper changing wasn’t exactly glamorous, a part of him couldn’t wait to experience that element of the parenthood experience.

 

“Alright, so where would one of those be?” Michael asked, waving down a shop assistant who was restocking a stand of baby bibs nearby.

 

“Hi, gentlemen. What are you looking for today?” The assistant, a woman in her mid-forties, smiled at them. The nametag on her shirt announced that her name was Maven. She looked at their entwined hands, “soon-to-be parents, I assume?”

 

“We- uh. Yes,” Alex nodded. It wasn’t far off the truth.

 

“Well, congratulations,” Maven said, sounding genuine. “Did you get a surrogate?”

 

“No,” Michael shook his head, “no way. We, uh, we’re adopting. A five-month-old.”

 

“Oh, how sweet,” the woman began leading them to a rack of clothes to the right side of the shop. “These should be about the right size, assuming you need clothes.”

 

“We actually have a list from our boyf-” Michael cut himself off before he finished the word. No part of him was ashamed of his relationship with Alex and Kyle, but it wasn’t something he could be bothered to explaining to a stranger that might not be understanding or accepting. “Our, uh, friend who’s also a father,” Michael recovered, technically not lying. Kyle was, in fact, also a father now. “He gave us this list of things we’d need to get.”

 

As Michael passed the list over to the shop assistant, he felt Alex’s hand slip from his grip as the airman stepped toward the racks of clothing. Alex inspected the tiny outfits, bringing his hand up to stroke the soft, downy fabrics.

 

Michael moved toward Alex and pressed a kiss to his cheek before whispering in his ear, “how about you choose some clothes, and I’ll get Maven to help me check everything else off the list.”

 

Alex nodded, his attention fixated on the baby clothes.

 

Michael gave a low chuckle and nudged his boyfriend’s side affectionately before he turned back around. “Now Maven, show me to the changing tables.”

 

* * *

 

Arriving home from their shopping trip, Michael and Alex were exhausted. They pushed their way through the unlocked door of the cabin with arms full of shopping bags, followed by a trail of large boxes, floating neatly through the air courtesy of Michael’s telekinesis.

 

“Honey, I’m home!” Michael hollered, waltzing into the living room and placing down his bags and boxes on the floor. Alex followed closely behind, rolling his eyes.

 

Kyle was sitting on the couch, holding Candice’s hands as she lay in his lap, kicking her feet around. “Welcome back,” he smiled, “Liz left about twenty minutes ago.”

 

“Looks like you had a relaxing time,” Alex commented, crossing the room and sitting next to Kyle on the couch.

 

“You couldn’t be further from the truth,” Kyle replied, shaking his head. “Woah!” he bellowed suddenly, leaning away as Alex went to put an arm around his shoulder. “You don’t wanna do that. This shirt is  _ covered _ in baby vomit.”

 

Alex grimaced and veered back, “why not- uuh. Give her to me while you go shower and change your shirt.”

 

Kyle nodded and passed the infant over to Alex, then stood up and all but ran to the bathroom.

 

“Hmm, maybe shopping with the extremely-chatty Maven wasn’t so bad after all,” Michael walked over and sat down next to Alex. Stroking a hand over Candice’s head, Michael scrunched up his nose. “I think maybe Kyle isn’t the only one who needs a wash.”

 

“You might be right,” Alex responded, “good thing we let Maven talk us into the jumbo-sized bottle of baby shampoo.”

 

* * *

 

When Kyle got out of the shower, about twenty minutes later, he decided Alex’s instruction of putting on a fresh shirt was overrated. Instead, the doctor pulled on his jeans and emerged from the bathroom, shirtless, to find his boyfriends standing in the kitchen, leaning over the sink.

 

“What are you doing?” Kyle asked, peering over Michael’s shoulder. Though once he could get a better look, he realised quickly that his boyfriends were giving their daughter a bath.

 

Candice was sat in the sink, lukewarm water halfway up her tummy. Alex was holding her up, hands under her armpits, while Michael rubbed shampoo into her hair gently.

 

“Candy’s bath time,” Alex replied, a wide smile on his face as Candice splashed her hands around, frothing up bubbles in the water.

 

Kyle noticed Alex’s smartphone balanced precariously near the edge of the sink, angled so the screen was within the airman’s line of vision. He snatched it up and unlocked it, reading what was open on the screen. “A wiki-how article titled How To Wash A Baby? Really?”

 

Michael shrugged, “Never accuse us of not being resourceful.”

 

Kyle laughed and opened the camera app on the phone and began snapping pictures, trying to capture the details of that perfect moment. Candice, with her hair full of bubbles. Alex’s grin as he watched his daughter giggling and splashing. Michael looking at Alex with adoration and bliss in his eyes. Michael glaring at the camera when he realised Kyle was taking photos.

 

“Don’t worry, babe, you look good in the photo.” Kyle teased, jumping away from Michael as the alien lunged for the phone.

 

“See what I have to deal with, Candy?” Alex said with an eyeroll as he watched his boyfriends wrestling playfully around the kitchen, Michael trying to get the phone out of Kyle’s hand. “Your dads are ridiculous. Hopefully you’ll learn to look past that and love them like I do.”

 

Candice giggled, eyes following Michael and Kyle’s movements around the kitchen. Her laughter grew as Michael used his powers to pin Kyle to the counter and pushed himself against the doctor’s chest. Kyle was about to object when Michael pressed a kiss to his lips with a bruising force. Kyle reciprocated avidly and Michael used the distraction to reach up and snatch Alex’s phone from Kyle’s grip. The alien pulled away with a smirk, leaving his boyfriend with a breathless scowl on his face.

 

By this point, Alex and Candice where both in fits of laughter. Though the infant clearly had no understanding of what was going on, she was enjoying herself. Her shrill, baby-laughter wasn’t stopping, and she splashed the water as her giggles got higher and higher.

 

Alex fell silent all of a sudden as the water in the sink began rippling as though it was raining. “Hey, Michael, could you stop whatever you’re doing?” he asked, voice cautious.

 

“I’m not doing any-” Michael’s reply was cut off as all the water in the sink erupted out, splashing across the kitchen.

 

The room fell silent, save for the sound of baby giggles as Candice sat in the sink, held upright in Alex’s arms, bone-dry, laughing to herself and clapping her hands.

 

“Before you say it, that wasn’t me,” Michael defended himself.

 

“Which means…” Alex looked down at their giggling daughter, “Candy has telekinesis too?”

 

Kyle nodded, looking around the kitchen at the water dripping from every surface and Michael and Alex’s soaked clothes. “See this is why I didn’t wear a shirt.”

 

* * *

 

After a month of having Candice in their home, Alex, Michael and Kyle fell into a comfortable routine. They would take turns cooking and cleaning like they always had, and it was simple to work in diaper changing, feeding and baths into their daily habits.

 

In that time, the three men had also figured out a way of dealing with Candice’s powers. Similarly to Max and Michael, her bursts of energy and telekinetic force were triggered by emotional outbreaks. Her fathers figured out that if they kept Candice calm and relaxed, her powers would stay in check.

 

The system was working so well, in fact, that Kyle suggested it was high time they took a family day trip.

 

“Where would we even go?” Michael was arguing, spreading his arms in enthusiasm and pacing the living room back and forth. “This is Roswell, where are we gonna take her? The UFO Museum?”

 

Kyle knew Michael well enough to understand that his aggression and bravado was all for show, that really he was disagreeing out of fear.

 

“Hey,” Kyle softened his tone and stepped forward, bringing a hand to Michael’s neck. “It doesn’t have to be anything like that. It can just be a trip to Isobel’s house, or the grocery store. I just think Candy needs to get out of the cabin. It’s good for her.”

 

Michael sighed, understanding Kyle’s point. “It’s just- I- What if it’s not safe? What if something goes wrong with her powers? What if someone-” he paused, a fearful choke interrupting his sentence, “what if someone disapproves of seeing three men with a baby and decides to do something about it?”

 

Kyle stood on his toes to press a kiss to Michael’s forehead. “That is  _ not _ going to happen,” he said firmly.

 

Kyle knew about Michael’s history. How his earliest experience loving and being loved by a man ended in a bloody hate crime. It came up from time to time, either from Michael or Alex. Kyle knew the experience tainted everything they did for a long time – that it still hung like a dark cloud over their heads in moments of vulnerability.

 

“We will keep her safe,” Kyle said, dropping his hands from Michael’s neck and holding taking the man’s hands in his own. “We’re her parents. That’s our job.”

 

Michael nodded and pressed his forehead to Kyle’s. “You think we can do it?” he asked, voice shaking.

 

“Michael, we’re in this thing for the long run,” Kyle replied. “We don’t have a choice. She can’t stay inside her whole life. We have to be able to protect her.”

 

Alex cleared his throat from the doorway to the living room from the bedroom, calling his boyfriends’ attention. He had Candice in one arm, and a backpack slung over the opposite shoulder. “I, uh, overheard you guys talking about going out,” he explained with shrug, “I packed a diaper bag, just in case.”

 

Michael chuckled and shook his head, “I guess it’s two versus one, huh?” he walked over to lift Candice from Alex’s arms. The infant gave an excited giggle as she was passed between her dads, and Michael grinned. “What’s that?” he asked her rhetorically, “ _ three _ versus one? Well, I can’t argue with that.”

 

Alex rolled his eyes and nudged Michael lovingly as Kyle laughed in the background.

 

 

* * *

 

“You look ridiculous,” Michael rolled his eyes at Kyle as the man climbed out of the car and began strapping an extravagant and complicated baby-carrier to his chest.

 

On the drive into town from their cabin, the three fathers had decided a short trip to the supermarket was the ideal location for Candice’s first trip out. They needed groceries anyway.

 

“It’s not ridiculous,” Kyle defended as he finished doing up the last of the countless clips. “It’s practical. Plus, it determines that I get to carry Candy.”

 

“Not fair!” Michael threw his hands into the air in exasperation.

 

“Actually, it is fair,” Alex replied, walking around from the other side of the car where he had been taking Candice out of her car seat, the oversized diaper bag he had packed earlier on his back. He lifted the baby into the carrier on Kyle’s chest and buckled her in place. “She’s not going to get dropped if we carry her in that thing.”

 

“I have mind powers!” Michael implored, “if any of us dropped her I’d catch her before she hits the ground!”

 

Alex stared at Michael for a few moments. “Fine,” he gave in. “You can carry her next time. Now stop throwing a tantrum, leave that to the actual six-month-old.”

 

Michael gave a huff and crossed his arms, following his boyfriends as they walked into the store.

 

Once they were inside, Alex produced a shopping list from one of the numerous outside pockets on his backpack. “Alright we need eggs, milk, formula, diapers, some different flavoured baby foods because she doesn’t like the carrot we bought last time, bread, soap-”

 

“You two look like a couple of packhorses,” Michael disrupted Alex’s list, gesturing to the backpack and baby carrier his boyfriends were wearing, respectively.

 

As quickly as Michael had interrupted him, Alex fired back, “well good thing this packhorse has a handsome cowboy that loves to ride him.”

 

Kyle’s eyes went wide and he cupped his hands over Candice’s ear. “Not in front of the baby!” he shrieked, face going red with embarrassment.

 

Michael burst into laughter while Alex at least had the decency to look apologetic.

 

Continuing around the shopping mall, Alex began to realise they were buying a lot of items, and should have grabbed a trolley at the entrance. He sent Kyle back to grab one, as he and Michael’s arms were full of groceries they had already picked up.

 

Kyle retrieved the trolley and was making his way back to where his two boyfriends were waiting when he bumped into Maria.

 

“Valenti, what’s with the baby?” Maria asked, cooing as Candice gurgled and dribbled down Kyle’s shirt.

 

“It’s, uh, a long story,” Kyle scratched the back of his neck. Maria knew about he and Michael and Alex’s relationship; in fact, she was one of the first people they told. But she didn’t know about the Michael-being-an-alien thing, and certainly didn’t need to know that the baby girl he and his boyfriends had all but legally adopted was also not of this world. “Really, too long to explain right now. Her name’s Candy.”

 

“Aww, how sweet,” Maria laughed at her own pun. “Is she yours?” she asked sceptically, “or are you babysitting her?”

 

“She’s, uh, yeah she’s ours.” Kyle gestured to where Alex and Michael were standing behind them, watching the exchange. Maria’s eyes went wide before he quickly finished, “we’re kind of keeping it quiet, though. So don’t go talking about it, yeah? We want to tell people on our own terms.”

 

“Oh, of course.” Maria smiled, voice bright and genuine. “But you’ll let me babysit sometimes, right? When you three need alone time…”

 

Kyle laughed and blushed. “Yeah, we’ll call you,” he promised. “But don’t get your hopes up for that too soon, Alex is still a little paranoid about going out without her.”

 

“Yeah and it sucks,” Michael announced as he came sauntering over and draped an arm over Kyle’s shoulders. “Please take the little rascal off our hands, just for one night. It’s been so long since I’ve got laid.”

 

Kyle rolled his eyes. “Sorry, Maria, Michael still hasn’t learnt about keeping it PG around the little one.”

 

Maria simply laughed. The tension that existed between her and Michael once upon a time disappeared when he came to his senses about his feelings for Alex and Kyle, years back. Now, Michael considered Maria one of his best friends, but nothing more.

 

“Well I’m happy for you guys,” Maria declared. Catching Alex’s eye as he walked over and deposited the items he had been carrying in the trolley, she finished “and you should definitely take me up on that babysitting offer. I’ll take good care of the cutie, and you guys deserve a break.”

 

Alex nodded and gave a quiet laugh. “Alright,” he responded. “There’s nobody I’d trust more.”

 

The three men said goodbye to Maria and continued their trek around the shop. By the time they had gathered all the supplies they needed, and gone through the checkout, Alex’s injured leg began giving him grief.

 

Alex hadn’t done anything particularly strenuous that week, but his exhaustion from being woken hourly during the night by baby cries seemed to be taking its toll. As he was making his was back to the car, grocery bags in hand, Alex’s leg twitched and seized up, causing him to trip. Alex was sure he was about to faceplant into the concrete sidewalk when a force caught him and held him in place.

 

“Alex?!” Kyle shouted, crouching down as comfortably as he could with a baby strapped to his chest next to Alex as the airman was lowered slowly to the ground. “Are you alright?”

 

“Yeah, fine.” Alex groaned, pushing himself off the ground. Michael stood over him, offering his hand. Alex took it and lifted himself up, “thanks for catching me.”

 

“I didn’t catch you.” Michael furrowed his brow, “I was all the way over by the car.” He pointed to where he had deposited several bags of groceries in the backseat.

 

“Then who-” Alex cut himself off at the sound of Candice gurgling, fidgeting in her carrier as she strained to try and look at Alex.

 

All three men had looks of shock on their faces, realising it must have been their daughter who had used her powers to save Alex when he tripped. Alex took both his boyfriends’ hands in his, overwhelmed with emotion knowing that their six-month-old had already decided she trusted and cared for her fathers enough to try and protect them, even subconsciously.

 

Candice looked at her dads and let out a squeal of delight, the street lamp above them giving a single, gentle flicker.

 

“I think that’s baby for ‘I love you’” Kyle grinned, tears in his eyes.

 

Alex pressed a kiss to the top of Candice’s head. “Oh, sweetheart,” he mumbled, “I love you too.”

 

* * *

 

Some weeks later, the three men were awoken at 1am not by their crying daughter, as was usually the case, but by frantic knocking at the front door.

 

When Michael volunteered to go answer it, he didn’t expect his world to instantly end with five words.

 

“We’ve found her real parents.” Max said.

 

Michael squinted. “Haha, good one,” he spoke after a pause, trying to convince himself this was a joke, despite Max’s voice not holding a hint of humour.

 

Max just stared, his serious cop-face on, and Michael’s forced-grin fell.

 

“No.” Michael shook his head, “you can’t just- you can’t-” his voice was growing panicked and desperate, drawing the attention of his boyfriends.

 

Kyle emerged from the bedroom, Alex following closely behind on two crutches. The two men stood either side of Michael, who had begun sobbing, wrapping an arm each around their boyfriend’s sagged shoulders.

 

“What’s going on?” Kyle snarled angrily at Max, “what did you say to him?”

 

Max took in a deep breath, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have opened with that.” He smiled sadly at the three men, “I think you guys should sit down for this.”

 

* * *

 

Max began his story once all four of them were sitting on the couch, warm mugs in hand. Kyle had offered to make coffee, trying to delay the conversation as long as possible. Alex had sat curled into Michael, rubbing circles into his back with one hand, the other resting on his thigh. Michael hadn’t spoken a word since they had sat down, he had just stared at the floor with tears in his eyes.

 

“I was staying late at the station, finishing up some paperwork,” Max explained, “a couple came in. That should have been my first hint that they weren’t human, since the place was locked up.” He gave a chuckle, but stopped when he saw the looks on Kyle and Alex’s faces.

 

Max cleared his throat. “Right, uh, they came in. Asked me where ‘the child’ was.”

 

Alex sucked in a breath, his body going rigid.

 

“I had no idea what they meant. Like, what child? So I asked and-”

 

“Max…” Kyle started, cutting the deputy off. He paused before he continued, fearing the answer to what he was about to ask. “Were they looking for Candice?”

 

Looking down at his hands, Max gave a short nod. “They were looking for their daughter.”

 

“No.” Kyle said firmly, standing up. “No way. She’s- How? Who are they? How can- Why?” Kyle’s hands were balled into fists at his sides, and he glared daggers at Max.

 

“Kyle, calm down,” Alex mumbled, a glazed-over, distant look in his eyes.

 

“Calm down? Calm down?!” Kyle yelled, “Alex, how could you- she’s our daughter!”

 

“I know that!” Alex yelled back, eyes locking with Kyle’s. “And I love her. But we should hear Max out. Maybe what’s best for her is sending her home. Where she belongs.”

 

It hadn’t been that long since Alex had had a similar argument with Michael. About home and belonging. Though Michael had decided home was here on Earth, with Alex (and later Kyle), part of Alex always wondered if Michael could be happier if he left. Alex especially didn’t want to hold Candice back when she was too young to make that decision himself. He couldn’t look at her in ten years time and explain that  _ he _ was the reason she never got to know her real parents.

 

Michael still hadn’t spoken up. Alex wanted to ask his opinion on the matter, feeling that Michael had the most valuable perspective on the situation, but Max returned to explaining what had happened, disrupting Alex’s train of thought.

 

“They explained to me that they were parents of a child that had been dropped at the police station three months ago,” Max cleared his throat and sat up straighter. “That they weren’t from around here. They had arrived and their vehicle had been damaged. They needed someone to take care of their child while they repaired it, so they left her here.”

 

Kyle was shaking his head, “so, what? They just spoke vaguely about being from somewhere else and you assumed they’re the parents of our alien daughter?!”

 

“Kyle,” Max’s voice was surprisingly gentle toward the man he used to hate, “I asked the to prove it. They showed me their abilities. They drew the electricity from the lights in the police station and threw it around the room like bolts of lightning. It’s energy control, just like me, just like Candice, but more advanced.”

 

“It- it could have been a trick!” Kyle’s voice grew frantic, “like a magician, some sort of technology! It- it-”

 

“Kyle!” Michael spoke up, his voice strained and muffled but determined, “it wasn’t a trick.”

 

Kyle’s shoulders dropped and he looked defeated, staring at Michael as though his boyfriend had betrayed him.

 

Michael sighed and rubbed his eyes, trying to find the energy to continue. “I spent my whole life waiting for my real parents to come and save me,” he started. “They never did and I was miserable because of it. I spent every day wondering why they left me. Why I wasn’t good enough for them. Why I got stuck with the shitty end of the stick, desperately trying to figure out how to make life even a tiny bit worth living.”

 

Kyle looked at the floor, guilt eating him up for not looking at this from Michael’s perspective.

 

“I found you guys, and you make it worth it. Of course you do. I love you guys more than anything, I wouldn’t trade you for the world.” Michael paused, taking a breathe, “but I got lucky, finding you. It took me years of desperation and feeling worthless before we made this work. I- I just don’t want Candice to need to go through that.”

 

“It’s not like we have a choice,” Alex whispered, voice broken and muffled as he buried his head in Michael’s shoulder. “The adoption hasn’t gone through yet. We’re not her fathers. Not legally. Not in any way that counts.”

 

“It does count!” Kyle urged, crossing the room to sit next to his boyfriends. “Remember what I said, when we decided to keep her?”

 

“She’ll always be our daughter,” Michael responded, lifting up his head and looking Kyle in the eye. “But she’ll always be their daughter too. She belongs with them. She deserves a home that doesn’t feel second-best.”

 

Kyle tensed, “Is that what we are? Something secondary?”

 

“Kyle,” Alex’s tone was warning. He understood the man’s questioning; was just as hurt by Michael’s statement. But now was not the time for a fight. “We can’t make this about  _ us _ . This has to be about what’s best for Candy. If we-” Alex swallowed, not wanting to finish the sentence, “if we give her up, we’re going to need to lean on each other. We can’t let this tear our whole family apart.”

 

“I’ve never resented anyone more than the person who kept my parents away from me. I don’t think I could live with myself if I did the same to Candy,” Michael said firmly, after a pause. “Could you?”

 

The room fell silent and stayed that way for a long time, until infant cries from the bedroom broke the hushed atmosphere.

 

Michael stood without a word and walked to the bedroom. When he returned, Candice was still and quiet in his arms, though tears dripped down her cheeks, resembling the faces of her three fathers in the room.

 

“Alright,” Kyle mumbled as he watched the girl’s silent sobs. “You’re right. I can’t be the reason she’s kept from where she really belongs.”

 

Alex swallowed. “Well, it’s decided then,” he spoke slowly and heavily, “no point delaying the inevitable. We should give her back to her real parents tomorrow.”

 

* * *

 

Michael had seen a lot of trauma in his life. He’d been the victim of hate crimes and exorcisms, covered up two murders, seen his mother die before his eyes. He came from a doomed planet seeking refuge and lived a life on Earth that consisted of more suffering than anyone deserved.

 

Kyle was a doctor. He knew the pain of losing patients, of being the one to call time of death. He’d had to tell parents that he had lost their children, lovers that they’d never see their partners again.

 

Alex had spent his whole life at war. Figuratively, fighting just to survive in a household with an abusive father that hated him. Literally, facing gunfire in Iraq in a unceasing battle that cost him his leg and, for a long time, his soul.

 

All three men would agree that nothing they had ever faced before had hurt as much as handing Candice over to her real parents.

 

The man and women were both tall, with curled hair and dazzling eyes. There was no doubt they looked like Candice’s mother and father. They stood before Michael, Kyle, Alex and Max (who was there to make sure the exchange went smoothly) at the police station where they had arranged to meet.

 

Kyle wanted to be angry at them, knowing they were about to take his daughter away. But the couple seemed so genuine and caring when they looked at the baby girl, grasped tightly in Michael’s arms, he couldn’t bring himself to feel anything but despondency. Kyle knew if he were in their place, awaiting the return of his child that he thought he had lost, he wouldn’t be nearly as patient as they were being as he, Alex and Michael said their goodbyes.

 

“We cannot thank you enough for taking care of our daughter,” the woman said, her voice light and flowery. She sounded every bit as sweet as Candy.

 

“It’s been our pleasure,” Alex replied, his voice cracking as he tried to hold it together. Kyle could see the tears threatening to fall down his cheeks, and knew he was putting on a brave face for he and Michael’s sake.

 

Michael was sobbing. Of the three of them, he had struggled the most to find a place of belonging. When he thought he finally had everything he wanted, a perfect little family with the two men he loved and the miracle baby that they thought they would never have, it was all being taken away from him. Fat drops of salty tears fell from Michael’s eyes, running down his face and splashing on Candice’s head as he cradled her one last time. Alex stood on one side of him, Kyle on the other, and they both had their arms around his back, their shoulders slumped forward as they watched Candice look up at them, eyes full of awe and confusion.

 

After a few moments, Max walked toward them and whispered that it was time to hand Candice over. When Alex caught the deputy’s eye, he could see that Max was crying too – even he was hurt to see the baby go. Alex took a deep breath and lifted Candice from Michael’s arms, knowing the alien couldn’t bring himself to do it.

 

Kyle pressed a final kiss to Candice’s head, whispering his sorrows and wishes for her as Alex carried her across the room to her real parents. The nearer he got, the more she began fidgeting and crying. Alex wondered if the infant could feel their pain, their misery. She already showed signs of having powers similar to Michael’s and Max’s, would it be much of a stretch to assume she had mental abilities like Isobel?

 

Alex’s suspicions were all but confirmed as he handed the infant over to her mother and felt an overwhelming sense of love, and finality. Alex breathed heavily, realising Candice was projecting feelings of comfort and support to him. Looking back to Michael and Kyle, and seeing the tension fall from their shoulders, Alex knew she had done the same for them.

 

Once the woman had Candice in her arms, she pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her head. “Thank you,” the woman whispered, “I cannot possibly repay you for what you have done.”

 

“You can,” Kyle said, voice teetering on the edge of composed. “Take care of her. Love her. Give her the life she deserves, that we couldn’t. That’s repayment enough.”

 

“We promise,” the man, Candice’s  _ real _ father, replied.

 

As the man and women turned to leave, Alex, Michael and Kyle regarded their daughter for one last time. Candice swivelled in her mother’s grip, leaning over to watch them back.

 

As the infant was carried out of the room, the feeling of comfort and love she had been projecting fell away. What remained was Michael, Kyle and Alex, leaning on each other desperately and crying like nothing was ever going to hurt as much again.

  
  



End file.
